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WORK TITLE: Children of the Fifth Sun
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://www.garethworthington.com/
CITY: Zurich
STATE:
COUNTRY: Switzerland
NATIONALITY:
RESEARCHER NOTES:
| LC control no.: | nb2013015212 |
|---|---|
| LCCN Permalink: | https://lccn.loc.gov/nb2013015212 |
| HEADING: | Worthington, Gareth, 1980- |
| 000 | 00897nz a2200205n 450 |
| 001 | 9321391 |
| 005 | 20130726050905.0 |
| 008 | 130725n| azannaabn |n aaa |
| 010 | __ |a nb2013015212 |
| 035 | __ |a (Uk)008803122 |
| 040 | __ |a Uk |b eng |e rda |c Uk |
| 046 | __ |f 1980 |
| 100 | 1_ |a Worthington, Gareth, |d 1980- |
| 370 | __ |a Plymouth, England |e Singapore |
| 372 | __ |a Marine biology |a Endocrinology, Comparative |a Pharmaceutical industry |a Fiction |2 lcsh |
| 374 | __ |a Marine biologists |a Endocrinologists |a Pharmaceutical industry–Employees |a Novelists |2 lcsh |
| 375 | __ |a male |
| 377 | __ |a eng |
| 670 | __ |a Huahuqui, 2012: |b t.p. (Gareth Worthington) back cover (born in Plymouth, England in 1980; Bsc (Hons) in marine biology; PhD in comparative endocrinology) |
| 670 | __ |a Goodreads www site, 25 July 2013: |b Gareth Worthington (lives in Singapore; works in pharmaceutical industry; author of Huahuqui series) |
PERSONAL
Born 1980, in Plymouth, England.
EDUCATION:Ph.D.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer, marine biologist, and pharmaceutical industry consultant.
AVOCATIONS:Muay Thai martial arts; playing acoustic guitar; studying ancient history; and drawing.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Gareth Worthington is a writer, marine biologist, and pharmaceutical industry consultant. He holds a degree in marine biology and a doctorate in comparative endocrinology. He has lived in the U.S.A., Portugal, the Netherlands, Singapore, and Switzerland.
Worthington is also an acoustic guitar player and martial art enthusiast. He has trained in Muay Thai at the EVOLVE MMA gym in Singapore and at the MMA at Phoenix Sportkampf, Switzerland. Worthington lives in Zurich, Switzerland.
Children of the Fifth Sun opens with protagonist Kelly Graham, a photojournalist specializing in underwater photography, and friend and brother-in-law, Chris D’Souza, on assignment in the Amazon. The two are surprised when they receive a call from Freya Nilsson, a U.S. military operative, requesting their help in a super secret mission. A contributor to Kirkus Reviews described the book as “an action-packed, globe-hopping science-fiction thriller that questions the validity of humankind’s current version of evolutionary history.”
The two underwater specialists learn that they are being recruited to retrieve a mysterious underwater orb, a device that will hopefully allow scientists to communicate with the even more mysterious K’in. The K’in, the two discover, is an underwater creature that is thought to have evolved alongside humans. In the 1940s, Chinese explorers discovered a frozen corpse of one of these creatures in Siberia. The United States government stole the specimen, and have been conducting experiments on it since. In recent years, scientists were able to successfully clone the DNA of the creature, resulting in a live K’in.
The U.S. government wants desperately to be able to communicate with the creature, believed to have been a race of humans that evolved underwater. The K’in are even thought to have communicated with humans, giving them science, math, and civility. Graham and D’Souza are tasked with free diving to find the object, and quickly, before the equally eager Chinese and Russian military get their hands on it. The plot is complicated when Graham learns that Victoria McKenzie, a scientist and Graham’s former lover, will also be helping with the mission.
As the trio prepares to launch the search, information about the creature and the mysterious communication orb is leaked online, resulting in an international race to retrieve the coveted object. Tensions rise and time becomes crucial as a sort of World War III seems imminent. A contributor to Publishers Weekly wrote: “Worthington’s understanding of the complexities and possibilities of marine biology and endocrinology are evident” in the book.
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Publishers Weekly, May 22, 2017, review of Children of the Fifth Sun.
ONLINE
Kirkus Reviews, https://www.kirkusreviews.com/ (May 15, 2017), review of Children of the Fifth Sun.
MyLifeMyBooksMyEscape, https://mylifemybooksmyescape.wordpress.com/ (July 25, 2017), DJ, author interview.*
Scientist. Writer. Muay Thai fighter.
If I can do it, anyone can.
And by 'it' I mean achieve your goals. As long as you're willing to work hard and hone in on those things at which you excel.
I grew up in a poor neighbourhood in a city well known for violence and crime, in a home that was no better. With the help of a few important individuals along the way, I broke the mould and fought against every stereotype, with which kids with my background were labelled, to build my future.
Now, I hold a degree in marine biology, a PhD in Endocrinology, and currently educate the World's doctors on new cancer therapies for the pharmaceutical industry. I have lived in the USA, Portugal, the Netherlands, Singapore and currently Switzerland. I have hand-tagged sharks in California; and trained in various martial arts, including Jeet Kune Do, Muay Thai,
and MMA at the EVOLVE MMA gym in Singapore and Pheonix KampfSport Switzerland.
Perhaps the achievements I am most proud of are my books.
My first novel Children of the Fifth Sun was published by Vesuvian Books in July 2017, and was named the winner of the science fiction category at the London Book Festival 2017.
My second venture, It Takes Death to Reach a Star (co-authored with Stu Jones) will be published by Vesuvian Books in May 2018. Both have been optioned for TV/Film.
I am represented by Renee C. Fountain and Italia Gandolfo of Gandolfo-Helin-Fountain literary Management. PR for my books is handled through a partnership between my publisher Vesuvian Books and Meryl Moss Media.
So, you see. If I can do it, anyone can.
Gareth Worthington is a trained marine biologist and also holds a doctorate in comparative endocrinology. Currently, Gareth works full time for the Pharmaceutical industry helping to educate the World's doctors on new cancer therapies. In his spare time Gareth has a number of passions, including: martial arts - he trained in Muay Thai at the prestigious EVOLVE MMA gym in Singapore and currently trains in MMA at Phoenix Sportkampf, Switzerland; playing acoustic guitar; studying ancient history; drawing; and most of all writing fiction. He is currently writing a futuristic thriller duology with co- author Stu Jones and he is working on books two and three of the
“Children of the Fifth Sun” series.
You can visit his author page and blog at www.garethworthington.com
Children of the Fifth Sun
Publishers Weekly.
264.21 (May 22, 2017): p76. From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Children of the Fifth Sun
Gareth Worthington. Vesuvian, $21.99 (400p) ISBN 978-1-944109-40-0
Scientist Worthington's understanding of the complexities and possibilities of marine biology and endocrinology are evident in this otherwise lackluster work of "science faction." Underwater photographer Kelly Graham; his brother-in-law, Christopher D'Souza; and rival scientist Victoria McKenzie (who is, of course, Kelly's former flame) are semi-involuntarily recruited by Freya Nilsson and her top-secret team for their free diving skills. Their assignment: retrieve a mysterious orb that may allow scientists to communicate with a cloned amphibious life form, Ambystoma sapiens--believed to be one of the "knowledge bringers" of world mythology, and to have evolved in parallel with Homo sapiens until a great flood gave the latter an advantage--that the U.S. government has been concealing in Area 51 for 65 years. A conflict with China, a public revelation of the existence of Ambystoma sapiens, and other dramatic events are unlikely to compel readers to overcome the challenges of inconsistent narration, too many points of view, and florid prose. (Aug.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Children of the Fifth Sun." Publishers Weekly, 22 May 2017, p. 76. PowerSearch,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A494099059/GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS& xid=0d3c3ce0. Accessed 18 Jan. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A494099059
1 of 1 1/18/18, 10:18 PM
CHILDREN OF THE FIFTH SUN
by Gareth Worthington
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KIRKUS REVIEW
An action-packed, globe-hopping science-fiction thriller that questions the validity of humankind’s current version of evolutionary history.
Kelly Graham is an adventurous photojournalist specializing in underwater photography currently on assignment in the Amazon with his friend Chris D’Souza. When a U.S. military operative named Freya Nilsson effectively forces them to complete a perilous mission—free diving 1,000 feet in the ocean to retrieve a mysterious object—the friends’ lives are irrevocably changed. Graham and D'Souza are eventually given access to top-secret information—and history-changing speculation—that would be considered incredible if not for the proof staring them in the face from behind an enormous tank. K’in is essentially a giant sentient salamander straight out of Mayan myth—comparable to the deity Quetzalcoatl, which means “plumed serpent.” A clone from the frozen corpse of a creature found in Siberia decades earlier, K’in is seemingly the last of his kind, the last of a race that, according to multiple cultural myths, helped humankind rebuild and evolve after the Great Flood. The object Graham and D’Souza are seeking is a device of sorts that facilitates communication between K’in and humans—but the Chinese, Russians, and American military are all after the device (and the creature) in hopes of exploiting its knowledge and power. When information concerning K’in is leaked on the internet, chaos ensues. The world’s governments stare down into the precipice of World War III. But while the pedal-to-the-metal pacing and relentless action make it easy to turn pages, the inundation of contrived and downright unbelievable sequences (like a character subconsciously tying knots in her hair that, once decoded by a National Security Agency code-cracking program, reveal important coordinates) negatively impacts the experience. Additionally, the novel has a bloated, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink feel, featuring Area 51, Atlantis, and the Book of Thoth.
An ambitious but ultimately forgettable debut novel.
Pub Date: July 25th, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-944109-40-0
Page count: 398pp
Publisher: Vesuvian Books
Review Posted Online: July 24th, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15th, 2017
Author Interview: Gareth Worthington
Today I am interviewing Gareth Worthington, author of the new science-fiction novel, Children of the Fifth Sun.
◊ ◊ ◊
DJ: Hey Gareth! Thanks for agreeing to do this interview!
For readers who aren’t familiar with you, could you tell us a little about yourself?
Gareth Worthington: Hey! Okay, well, I’m 37 years old, father of two living in Switzerland. I currently work for the pharmaceutical industry bringing new cancer medicines to patients. In my life I always try to improve on myself, and so attempt to achieve a lot. I have a degree in Marine Biology, a PhD in endocrinology, have lived in the USA, all over Europe and in Asia; play guitar; draw; have trained in Jeet Kune Do, Muay Thai and MMA; hand tagged sharks; and been a model. I’m also the Director of Business Development for a new books-to-TV/film company called the Vesuvian Media Group. I keep busy, LOL.
DJ: What is Children of the Fifth Sun about?
Gareth: Children of the Fifth Sun is an action adventure story with a dash of science fiction thrown in. Think Indiana Jones meets the Abyss!
The main premise is that in the late 1940s, Chinese explorers found the frozen corpse of a strange animal in Siberia. The US government stole it and for more than 60 years have been conducting experiments. In the last few years, they managed to clone it and create a live specimen.
The animal, known as K’in, is believed to be part of a race of beings that evolved alongside humans, even giving our kind science, math and civility. But many millennia ago, we killed them all.
Now, there is a covert war between various governments, and even cults, who want to harness the intelligence/power K’in is believed to have locked inside.
When a mission goes wrong in the South China sea, the US government is forced to recruit a civilian to help. This civilian, Kelly Graham, will change everything – in ways no one could have guessed.
It’s one hundred and forty thousand words – because there is a lot of story! I hope that readers will think I’ve done the topics justice.
DJ: What were some of your influences for Children of the Fifth Sun?
Gareth: I am actually heavily influenced by non-fiction – alternate history books written by the likes of Graham Hancock and Robert Bauval. I like to piece together real theories and facts, together with a dash of sci fi so the reader is never sure what is real.
DJ: Could you briefly tell us a little about your main characters? Do they have any cool quirks or habits, or any reason why readers with sympathize with them?
Gareth: Behind the sci fi and action, at its core it is a story about the human need for another person – and what happens if you find that person or people and lose them. Through Kelly Graham, we see a man who has lost his wife and child through tragedy and so built a wall around him to never feel for another person again lest he be hurt again. He uses sarcasm and foul language to keep people from getting too close. Frankly at the beginning he’s quite unlikeable. But, through a twist of fate he is forced to open up and begin to feel things he buried. Many of my female readers seem to pick up on this and feel for Kelly – seeing through his bullshit. I never expected to have a female readership with this book given the macro story, but its worked out that way. Of course this is also fed by the ‘will they, wont they’ relationship he has with the government agent who recruits him – Freya Nilsson. She is a strong woman, who had also experienced loss, but has dealt with it by becoming career focused. Her part in the world’s fate is much bigger than she could imagine.
And then there is K’in, but to tell you about him would be giving too much away…
DJ: What is the world and setting of Children of the Fifth Sun like?
Gareth: Children of the Fifth Sun is set in the modern day, and the series will span from 2012 to about 2030. It has multiple geographic locations, including Egypt, Latin America, Hong Kong, India and Siberia. And that’s just book one. Most of the locations are ancient sites, with artefacts and buildings that currently cannot be explained by historians. Overall, the tone of the book is that humanity is on the brink of huge change, though we are not ready for it.
DJ: What was your favorite part about writing Children of the Fifth Sun?
Gareth: For me it was two things. Firstly, doing all the research and finding cool theories, facts, tid bits that I could fold into the story and link together. From the alignment of the Giza pyramids to the constellation of Orion, to the true use of the Antikythera mechanism, to why the US formed the NSA, to Roswell, and even the true use of the theorized reflecting pools at Teotihuacan. Secondly, it was writing Kelly Graham’s arc. He is very much based on me, and so he grew as I did. How the book ends is important for me, on a personal level.
DJ: What do you think readers will be talking about most once they finish it?
Gareth: It is almost always what a cool movie it would make! It has already been optioned, but given the location, CGI and action we’re looking at a 150M dollar movie. Still, we have interested parties…
DJ: What was your goal when you began writing Children of the Fifth Sun? Is there a particular message or meaning you are hoping to get across when readers finish it? Or is there perhaps a certain theme to the story?
Gareth: For me, it’s for readers to consider this: we do not see the world as it is, we it as we are. Everyone has their demons and it colors their view of everything. If we understand that, we can actually have a peaceful society. Understand that while you may not agree with someone, they have a reason for thinking how they do – just like you. Of course, the other theme is loss. We will all lose someone we love. It’s how we deal with that that’s important.
DJ: When I read, I love to collect quotes – whether it be because they’re funny, foodie, or have a personal meaning to me. Do you have any favorite quotes from Children of the Fifth Sun that you can share with us?
Gareth: Hahah. Yes. One of my favorites is from Kelly: “I’ve got serious nutflies.” He’s referring to a gut feeling about something, like butterflies in your stomach – but for him it’s more of a tingle in his testicles. It makes sense for him!
DJ: Now that Children of the Fifth Sun is released, what is next for you?
Gareth: So, I am writing the second book in the Children of the Fifth Sun trilogy. But I have an unrelated thriller coming out next year called It Takes Death to Reach a Star. I wrote it with my good friend Stu Jones. It a futuristic thriller that considers what happens to us if the social divide continues to widen, anti-bacterial resistance isn’t counteracted and the war on terror escalates. You can find out all about it here: www.ittakesdeathtoreachastar.com
DJ: Where can readers find out more about you?
Amazon Author Page: www.amazon.com/Gareth-Worthington/e/B00C8979OG
Website/Blog: www.garethworthington.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/garethworthingtonauthor/
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/5976521.Gareth_Worthington
Twitter: @DrGWorthington
COFTS: www.childrenofthefifthsun.com
ITDTRAS: www.ittakesdeathtoreachastar.com
Vesuvian: www.vesuvianmedia.com
Agent: www.GHliterary.com
DJ: Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to answer my questions!
◊ ◊ ◊
*** Children of the Fifth Sun is published by Vesuvian Books and is available TODAY!!! ***
Buy the Book:
Amazon | Barnes & Nobel | Goodreads | Kobo
◊ ◊ ◊
About the Book:
Genre: “Science Faction” – science fiction, action and adventure with fact-based science, theories and mythology
IN ALMOST EVERY BELIEF SYSTEM ON EARTH, there exists a single unifying mythos: thousands of years ago a great flood devastated the Earth’s inhabitants. From the ruins of this cataclysm, a race of beings emerged from the sea bestowing knowledge and culture upon humanity, saving us from our selfish drive toward extinction. Some say this race were “ancient aliens” who came to assist our evolution.
But what if they weren’t alien at all? What if they evolved right here on Earth, alongside humans . . . and they are still here? And, what if the World’s governments already know?
***
Kelly Graham is a narcissistic self-assured freelance photographer specializing in underwater assignments. While on a project in the Amazon with his best friend, Chris D’Souza, a mysterious and beautiful government official, Freya Nilsson, enters Kelly’s life and turns it upside down. Her simple request to retrieve a strange object from deep underwater puts him in the middle of an international conspiracy. A conspiracy that threatens to change the course of human history.
About the Author:
Gareth holds a degree in marine biology, a PhD in Endocrinology, and currently educates the World’s doctors on new cancer therapies for the pharmaceutical industry. He has hand-tagged sharks in California; and trained in various martial arts, including Jeet Kune Do, Muay Thai, and MMA at the EVOLVE MMA gym in Singapore and Phoenix KampfSport Switzerland.
As an author, he is represented by Renee C. Fountain and Italia Gandolfo of Gandolfo-Helin-Fountain Literary Management. He has won honorable mention for his writing at the New York Book Festival 2012 and 2013. His full debut novel, Children of the Fifth Sun, will be published by Vesuvian Books in July 2017 and has been optioned by Vesuvian Entertainment for TV/Film. His second novel, It Takes Death to Reach a Star co-authored with Stu Jones, will be published by Vesuvian Books in 2017 and has optioned by Vesuvian Entertainment for TV/Film. Book two in the series is underway.
Worthington is also the Director of Business Development for the Vesuvian Media Group Inc – a unique books-to-film company.
Born in Plymouth UK, he currently reside outside of Zurich, Switzerland
www.garethworthington.com
www.facebook.com/garethworthingtonauthor/
www.ittakesdeathtoreachastar.com
www.childrenofthefifthsun.com